A New Jersey employee that was working on a forklift was abruptly swallowed by a sinkhole that opened up beneath a loading dock on Monday afternoon.

According to NJ.com, the hole was said to be 30-by-40 feet, which was 10-feet deep, opened up as Danny Rodriguez was storing away food products at a warehouse in East Rutherford, N.J.

Rescuers stated that the worker could've actually drowned inside the hole, which was filled with cooking oil and soy sauce.

The police said that Rodriguez had escaped free by the time firefighters arrived at the scene at 12:30 p.m.  He ended up being transported to a hospital with minor injuries, according to NBC 4 News.

Firefighters had ordered that the building be evacuated. Soon after, building officials arrived at the scene as of 2 p.m., and attempted to determine which parts of the premises were safe.

Assistant Fire Chief John Giancaspro said that the authorities are still trying to determine what caused the collapse in the first place.

Tags: sinkhole offbeat